TIRAR LOS MUROS ABAJO
by lunaboricua
Summary: Ginny cannot contain her feelings for Harry anymore and decides to tell him how she feels. His answer changes her deep inside where she builds walls to protect where it hurts the most.


**TIRAR LOS MUROS ABAJO**

Harry Potter and its characters are not mine, but from the brilliant mind of JK Rownling.

_A/N: Tirar los muros abajo means bringing down the walls._

She watches them whisper secretively as they do every night. The golden trio…inseparable, impenetrable, incorruptible. She longs to be part of them, but deep down knows that she will never make it. Nobody will ever make it. They are 3 sides of a whole and no matter what their lives bring, they will be forever one.

Yet, she cannot help but remember that she has every right to have a spot in their lives. After all, before they were the trio, she was Ron's best friend. Before Hogwarts, she and Ron were the ones that were inseparable, impenetrable, and incorruptible. But that all changed once the Hogwarts Express left King's Cross Station. That was the moment where his new life began with new friends and new adventures. It was also the moment where she saw him for the first time.

There he was, looking shy and confused, asking them how to get into 9¾ . As her mother explained the magic of the platform, Ginny saw him for the first time. The attraction was immediate. Not in a romantic or sexual way, but in a wanting. Wanting to get to know him. Wanting to be his friend. Wanting to give him company. Wanting to sooth his hurts. She was lost in those eyes that hid longing and sadness and, yes, a bit of mischief. She was entranced in those eyes, shining emeralds partially hidden by glasses and a bit-too-long fringe. She wanted to be his friend. His companion.

Yet, that was not to happen. She found out later that the object of her wanting was none other than the famous Harry Potter. Yes, the one from her stories, the one that survived the most evil and dangerous wizard of all time. And what was more surprising, he became her brother's best friend. No, not only best friend. His new best friend, considering she always held that title before. She could not wait for Ron's letters to hear all about how Harry was such a cool bloke, how he was a great mate, how he had put that vile Malfoy in his place, how he was the youngest seeker in a century getting into Griffyndor's team by accident during his first flying lesson.

Ron was having the time of his life. He had even managed to save that annoying know-it-all of Hermione Granger from a troll. Well, him and Harry of course. And now, they were 3. Ron's letters decreased as the year progressed, but the stories became grander and more adventurous culminating in the rescue of the Philosopher's stone from getting into the hands of You-know-who.

By the time Ron returned home for the summer, Harry was all that Ginny could talk about. She kept pestering Ron with questions about Harry until Ron yelled that she was way too young to get in his business. She almost missed the hurt that those words brought to her heart, but they actually made her stop and realize that he did not consider her even his old best friend anymore. He had unceremoniously ripped her out of his life. That was another moment that changed the course of her life.

As the summer progressed, Ginny decided to get over the hurt of Ron's rejection by looking forward to her first year at Hogwarts. If Ron, who was a complete git, could get such good friends, then she would have no problem getting her own. After all, she was smart and funny and pretty as her dad kept reminding her. And maybe because of that she could also become friends with Harry and he would overlook the fact that she was related to THE PRAT.

Unexpectedly, Harry arrived at the Borrow after being rescued by the twins and Ron from his relatives. They had to rip the bars from his windows, for Merlin's sake, and get him out with her dad's flying car. Her mother was livid with her brothers, but not at dear Harry. He needed to eat and she would ensure that he had a fantastic rest of the summer. Ginny could only hope that this was her chance to become his friend.

She was not counting with having such intense feelings for him. Her 11-year-old heart almost could not contain what she felt for Harry. She wanted to protect him and to support him and to make him smile. She could do that. After all, her brothers said that she was smart and witty and funny. There was nothing keeping her from being part of his life. She proved it by defending him from that git Draco Malfoy when they went to get their school things at Diagon Alley. That jerk suggested that Harry was an attention-seeking disgrace. But she put him in his place only to be ridiculed by him when he said she was Harry's girlfriend. If he only knew how much she wanted that to be true.

And then she found herself at Hogwarts. Finally after all the years of watching her brothers go one by one abandoning her at the Borrow, it was her turn. It was a beautiful place and she could not wait to explore it and learn all its secrets. Maybe Ron and his friends, especially him, would show her all the magic of the castle. But that was not to be.

It did not take long for Ginny to realize that she was not welcome in the Golden Trio's group. That was when she discovered something among her books. It looked like a diary and how perfect, something she could confide in without embarrassing herself. And that's how her first year's experience started, how she became Tom Riddle's pawn, how she found herself being rescued by Harry Potter himself.

That year changed her life unequivocally. She could see how she lost her innocence and trust in people. She became wary of everyone around her and more alone than ever. In return, people didn't trust her either and having real friends became impossible. It would take a few years for Ginny to be comfortable enough around people to share her innermost feelings and insecurities, being the biggest her growing affection for Harry Potter.

As the years went by, so grew her love for him. Yes, by her 4th year, she was sure that what she felt for him was love. She still felt like she did when she first saw him and didn't even know that that was THE Harry Potter, but now there was an extra layer of feeling, a desire to be close to him physically as well as emotionally. Until one day she could only explain the feeling as love. And considering the depth and intensity of the feeling in her not-so-young-anymore heart, it was of the romantic kind.

Harry had never showed any sign that he returned her feelings. In fact, despite being aware that she used to have a crush on him which he thought had disappeared when in fact it had blossomed, he pretty much ignored her. Ginny had worked really hard at controlling that crush and how it made her act geeky and completely unlike herself. Yes, her feelings for Harry had grown, but she had also matured and a lot of dreamy innocence had been lost at the hands of Tom.

While Harry drooled over pretty Ravenclaw Cho Chang, Ginny started to take steps to get over Harry. She started giving other boys a chance in the hope that one of them will reclaim her heart from Harry's clutches. It proved impossible, but she was nothing if she was not perseverant and she kept trying to destroy the romantic feelings and instead to replace them with a warm friendship. Weeks and months went by as she kept trying to get over Harry, yet despite all her best efforts; she was unable to forget him. By then Harry had ended a brief and disastrous romance with Cho and had become more interested in defying Voldemort and advancing the war effort. Ginny understood his responsibilities, especially after accompanying him to the Department of Mysteries to rescue Sirius, adventure which ended in the untimely death of Harry's godfather and the public outing of Voldemort himself.

Upon Harry's arrival that summer to the Borrow, Ginny noticed a change in him. He was becoming more interested in spending time with her and in including her in their outings. Her feelings had been so constantly rejected, that she did not fool herself into believing that he was interested in her in anything more than a friend of course. Yet Hermione said that she suspected that Harry fancied her. Ginny told her that she was sure that Harry did not see her that way, but at Hermione's insistence, Ginny started to think about it and after several weeks of confusion, finally realized that there was the possibility that he did fancy her.

But Harry did not seem to make any effort in approaching her with romantic intentions. Days and days went by with Ginny living with the uncertainty of the truth in Hermione's words. She started to be constantly nervous, especially in Harry's presence until she found herself reverting to the nervous and awkward girl that would put her elbow in the butter dish just because Harry looked her way. Her nerves became increasingly uncomfortable until she could not stop the trembling inside from the intensity of those feelings. She had to do something, or she would explode.

Ginny finally decided that the best thing she could do to move the situation forward was to tell Harry how she felt. If he returned her feelings, they might start a relationship and live a beautiful love story. If he did not, she would have done something tangible that could help her get over the torturous state that she found herself constantly to be in. Yes, telling Harry would be the way to go to change what was…for better or for worse.

Gathering her courage, Ginny approached Harry as he sat brooding in the almost empty Gryffindor common room. She walked up to him silently and whispered his name. Harry looked up suddenly and smiled warmly at her approach.

"Harry, can you spare a moment?"

"Sure, Ginny," motioning her to sit beside him.

"Harry, I need to speak to you about something. I need to say something really selfish in order to keep my sanity, so I want you to hear me out. Should you not feel receptive to what I have to say, take as much time as you might need to get over any awkwardness, but please promise me that you will make an effort to remain my friend."

"Ginny, now you're making me nervous," he said with a chuckle. "What could possibly be so bad that you would ask me for such a promise?"

"Just promise me Harry, that after a reasonable amount of time, say a month, you will forget that this conversation ever happened and that we can continue being the friends that we are."

"Is it that important to you?"

Ginny sighed, "Yes it is."

"Ok, Gin, I promise."

"Thank you."

Ginny could feel Harry's piercing eyes connecting with her right down to her soul. Maybe this won't be as hard as I think, thought Ginny.

"Harry, as you know I used to have a massive crush on you. I'm happy to report that that has all disappeared. However, what I'm reluctant to say is that now I feel a lot other feelings for you, including friendship, kinship, and, well, love. I really fancy you Harry and I needed to tell you in order to either act on those feelings or take a step into getting over them."

Harry reacted as if Ginny had slapped him. He was so shocked by what she said that he kept opening and closing his mouth, not unlike a fish, and seemed to be speechless.

After moments of uncomfortable silence, Harry seemed to recuperate his footing and gulped some air.

"Ginny, I'm really flattered that you feel this way about me, but although I do consider you a very dear friend, I do not feel the same way about you."

Ginny felt a piercing hurt in her chest. She had been expecting such an outcome, but to actually hear it was a lot harder than you can ever imagine. It was an indescribable pain that seemed to come from very deep inside and almost robbed her of her breath. But she had promised herself that no matter what Harry answered, she would not break down or yell or lose it. She would be mature about the whole thing and do her best to mend whatever in their friendship could have been ripped apart by her confession.

"Harry, thank you so much for being honest. That is what I expect from you and probably one of the reasons why I care about you so much. I also want to thank you for listening to me and not mocking my feelings. Thank you for allowing me a way to move forward."

Ginny sighed audibly while they stared into each other's eyes.

After a moment Harry said "Ginny, are we still friends?"

"Of course Harry. I told you that before I told you anything else. But I do need some time alone as you can imagine. No worries though, this conversation is a good thing and it can only make me and our friendship stronger."

She patted his hand and stood up smiling at him and walked toward the exit of the common room. She needed to be alone for a bit to let out the incredible hurt that she felt. And it was pretty magnificent in its intensity. Wow, it was like physical this pain.

Ginny walked around the now silent and dark castle thinking over and over about the signals that she thought she had seen in Harry in the past few months. She kept walking slowly lost in thought reliving all those little moments she had shared with Harry since they first saw each other. She had been sure that by now he would return some of her feelings. Merlin, Hermione had been sure he fancied her as well! As did almost every girl in her dorm and even Lavender and Parvarti. How could they all be so wrong?

But they had been and at remembering the conversation again, she felt the stabbing pain and the tears starting flowing. She finally felt them and started to sob. It was a blinding pain that wouldn't even let her breath properly. She tried to catch her breath, when she realized that she had walked to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Yes, the one that had the opening to the Chamber of Secrets. Ginny went inside and stared at the sinks that marked the entrance to the chamber. She sat down right there, on the floor, just staring and being inundated by memories of a more dangerous pain than the one that she felt right now. Longing and loneliness had driven her to the edge of evil and she had survived. She had a little help, of course, but she had survived the possession, she had survived her guilt, she had survived for a whole year with the most evil wizard of all time in her head and she was only stronger for it.

If she could survive Tom Riddle, she could survive being romantically rejected by Harry Potter.

Finally gaining some perspective, Ginny stood up and slowly returned to her dorm thankful that Filch had not made an appearance. She tossed and turned all night thinking about this new opportunity to start her life over, leaving behind childish dreams of love and happiness. She could continue living her life with a loftier goal, really contributing to the war effort and a better future for all. She did not need his love, after all she had the love of her family, all her brothers, and those friends she had been able to finally make. She had a full life and would now strive to make it a meaningful life with no desire for selfish romantic entanglements that could only bring unnecessary despair.

She woke up exhausted, but somehow energized with the possibility of a new purpose in life. She arrived at the Great Hall for breakfast, just like every day and smiled to the Trio on her way to sit with her friends. Harry seemed to be brooding over his breakfast, but he looked up as she walked by and seemed surprised by her smile. She somehow looked older to him despite the familiar smile. She seemed stronger although a bit far away. Or maybe the words were "walled in."

Life kept going for the residents of Hogwarts. Harry had almost forgotten about his confrontation with Ginny and they were back to being the same friends that they had always been. Well, no exactly the same. He could tell that something had changed within her and although it was not obvious to anyone, he could feel some emotion missing from her. She seemed no longer vulnerable or expressive or warm.

He had noticed that she didn't date anyone. Ginny had always been popular among the guys and it seemed that she had them all going crazy with her constant rejection of their advances. Although the rejection was lighthearted and she seemed not to make any of them feel too bad, it was clear that she did not want to start anything with anyone and that she felt comfortable being alone. This was blatantly obvious when there was the announcement of a Christmas Ball that year and Ginny showed up by herself. She looked beautiful with a bronze halter topped robe that went all the way to her feet and her hair pulled back in a twist. She looked untouchable, yet she managed to have a good time, dance with all her friends, laugh and gossip and enjoy. When asked about her lack of date, she simply answered, "Who needs a date? We can live a perfectly happy life without a date." Not a 'enjoy a ball' or 'have a good time,' but 'live a perfectly happy life.' Her tone was so final though that it did not allow for a follow up question and she would continue her conversations as if nothing out of the ordinary had been said.

Ron and Hermione had also noticed the changes in Ginny. They were so subtle that you might not catch them. They were not changes in personality per se, but more changes in attitude. While before she would flirt or joke or have heart to heart conversations, now she was reserved with the information she shared about herself. Even with her own brother, she seemed to never share her innermost thoughts and feelings with anyone, but she was still willing to listen and advice or comfort.

Harry had told Ron and Hermione about Ginny's confession and her subsequent acceptance. It never occurred to him that any changes that she was experiencing would have anything to do with that conversation since she had reacted so well. Ron was angry at the beginning asking him what was wrong with his sister, if he thought she was not good enough, etc., but Harry assured him that she was wonderful and he could not help to feel the way he did. Ron's temper seemed to deflate a bit with this and seeing as Ginny seemed to be fine with it, eventually they continued being the way they always were.

Hermione was not so accepting. She was sure that Harry had lied to Ginny about his feelings for her but could not figure out why for the life of her. She decided to approach Ginny first to discuss the conversation. Surprisingly Ginny, who had always being so open with her, had skimmed over the details and assured her that she was fine with his decision and that she admired his honesty. Hermione pressed her pointing out her subtle changes in attitude, not letting any boys near her and not opening up to her friends as before, but Ginny answered her honestly that she did not need anyone to live and that there were more important things to think about than boys like the upcoming battle. Hermione had no argument for this although she finally understood something that she never thought possible. She continued listening to Ginny and her plans for the war coming cementing her belief in Ginny's new motives.

Ginny had found something to be afraid of bigger than Voldemort. She had survived having Tom Riddle in her head for a year and growing up in a war, but she had been hurt so much more deeply by Harry's rejection that she had decided never to let anyone that close to her heart again. It was surprising that someone so full of love, laughter, mischief, and happiness would just close herself up to the possibility of love for fear of rejection, but there it was plainly for anyone to see. For every word that she spoke daringly about the war and her possible participation in it was an assurance that she did not expect a classic "happily ever after."

Hermione wasn't sure what to do to help Ginny. She kept trying to bring the subject back to Harry and that moment in time, but Ginny kept saying there were more important things than a "so-called broken heart" and that it was time for them to grow up and concentrate on bigger things.

Hermione said "How can there be anything more important than love? It's Harry's secret weapon against Voldemort."

Ginny only replied "Harry would then need to be the one to find love since he seems to need it to win the war. But I will be perfectly fine fighting just for the joy of destroying the poison that is Tom Riddle. I have all the love I might need in my family and friends and romantic love is not necessary to have a fulfilling life."

Hermione ended the conversation by saying "having a fulfilling life and living a fulfilling life are 2 different things." With that the conversation was over and Ginny just pushed the truth in Hermione's words to the back of her heart and mind.

Hermione then decided to approach Harry with the problem.

"Harry, have you noticed how Ginny has changed since her confession to you?"

Harry playing dumb answered, "What do you mean Hermione? That conversation ended fine and we are still the same friends that we always were."

"So she still talks about the chamber and Tom? She still shares her nightmares with you? When was the last time you had a deep conversation with her about her problems? When was the last time you saw her flirt? When was the last time you saw her blushing?"

"That has nothing to do with that conversation. Maybe there is something else bothering her."

"Harry, I think that when she confessed her feelings for you, her life changed more than even she thinks. I think that the pain of your rejection prompted her to stump on any possible romantic feelings for you or anyone else and to start hiding them in the importance of this war effort. I think she found something scarier than Voldemort and that is putting herself out there for love."

"Hermione everyone is afraid of putting themselves out there."

"Yes, but not in a paralyzing way. Not in a way that dashes any hopes of a future. Not in a way where it really doesn't matter if you survive the war because there is nothing to live for. For Merlin's sake, your biggest weapon to defeat Voldemort is love and she has eradicated that from her life just because her heart belongs to only one man and he doesn't want her."

"Hermione, there is nothing I can do. I told you, I don't see her that way."

"But you are lying, aren't you? You do see her that way and you are so scared to lose her in the middle of this war that you instead killed her inside and left her to build walls around her heart so thick that she can't even recognize what she's doing. You though that you might protect her by rejecting her, but instead you destroyed the best in her, the shine in her eyes, the music in her laughter. Some hero you are."

Harry felt tears come to his eyes. He seemed to deflate in Hermione's presence and almost inaudibly said "I know, I know."

Hermione's tone softened at those words. She felt bad for Harry and this current predicament. But she had to keep going if she wanted her friends to be happy.

"Harry, you have to do something. You care for her and she loves you so much, there has to be something that we can do."

"I don't think now is the right time to be thinking about such matters. We have a war to win, everything else can wait."

"Can it wait Harry? Because don't you need love to defeat Voldemort? And the more time you let this go without addressing it, the faster and more irremediably that we will lose Ginny. Is that what you want?"

"Hermione…"

"Harry, don't do this to her. You are the only one with the power to reverse what has been put in motion. Do it for her Harry."

Harry stared at Hermione for a while and finally conceded "I'll try."

Harry went in search of Ginny. He had looked everywhere, the library, the astronomy tower, the quidditch pitch, even the room of requirement, but he could not find her anywhere. He finally decided to get the Marauder's Map to find her. What he saw surprised him…she was in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

He almost ran all the way there thinking the worst. Once he had almost lost her to Tom Riddle and his diary, and there she was staring at her biggest trauma in the face. He reached the door and took a breath. He slowly opened the door and entered the bathroom and there was Ginny, sitting in the floor cross-legged staring at the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.

Without turning she said "Hi Harry."

"Hi"

"What are you doing here and how did you find me?"

Harry lifted the map and asked "How did you know it was me?"

"I just felt you. So, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Sure. What about?"

"Gin…I wanted to talk to you about the night you confessed your feelings for me. The night you told me you fancied me."

Chuckling Ginny said "I think it was more than fancy Harry. I believe I said that I loved you. But we also said that we would never revisit that particular conversation again and I rather stick to that decision."

"Yes, you did say that. You also said that I was honest and that you admired that quality. But Ginny, I was not really honest. I do care about you that way. It's just, I'm so scared. There is this war and Voldemort and danger everywhere. I could not live with myself it something was to happen to you. So selfishly I lied to you instead and witnessed how you became something that I was not expecting. I did not expect you to build these ridiculous walls around your heart keeping everyone, potential dates and friends alike at a distance. Even your brothers know that there is something different about you."

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Really? So how come you went alone to the ball? I know that at least 10 guys invited you."

"I just wanted to go alone."

"Then how come you don't confide in anyone anymore."

"I have nothing to confide."

"Or is it that the last time you confided something the reception was not what you expected?"

"I told you that I was not expecting anything. I said how I felt at the time and you said how you feel. That was all. We kept being friends just like always. What more do you want from me?"

"Remember when you said you liked that I was honest? How about you exhibit some of that honesty yourself?"

"I'm being honest."

"So you think that you can live a perfectly happy life without love as I've and many others have heard you say time and time again."

"Yes"

"How about the fact that love is my secret weapon against Voldemort?"

"Well, it means that maybe you should go looking for love."

"Would you be able to take it if I did?"

"Of course. Defeating Voldemort is the most important thing you have to do right now, and if love is what you need to do it, then by all means, do search for someone to love."

"Ginny, but I told you, that you are the one that I want."

"Well, that was not what you said before and now it's a bit too late, don't you think?"

"Why is it too late?"

"Well, I don't believe in love anymore."

"What?"

"Yes, Harry, I don't think love exists and therefore I don't need it. I think that it was made up by humans so they would not feel alone and would be able to mate, but otherwise, it doesn't really exist and as such it cannot be a necessary element for us to live. You know, like air."

"Oh Ginny."

"What?"

"I can't believe I did this to you. You, the most loving person I know."

"Please Harry, arrogant much? The world does not revolve around you. Did I hurt your ego by getting over you? Well, I'm sorry, but you were not much worth it. Plus, there are so many other things to worry about. You need to concentrate on this war. If that means you need a girlfriend, I will help you find one that you can imagine yourself in love with. It cannot be that hard."

Harry stared at Ginny with immense sadness. How could he have destroyed the most beautiful person in the world with some selfish and careless words? She was a survivor and he should have thought that she would find a way to cope with her life the best way that she could, even if it wasn't the healthiest way.

But, what to do? She seemed so steadfast in her belief. There had to be a way to break down her defenses. Some way to bring her back to the point where she would let herself feel.

"I'm sorry I did this to you Ginny."

Ginny snorted. "Like I said Harry, you didn't do anything, I'm fine."

Harry left her alone after that. He had to come up with a plan to reach Ginny and tap into that big heart of hers.

Harry looked for Hermione and found her in the Gryffindor common room arguing with Ron.

"Ron, if you had started with enough lead time, then you would not need to copy my essay now would you?"

"But Hermione, we had quidditch practice. I had no time to start the essay and you always help us anyway. Pleaseeeee!"

"No Ronald! You have to start taking responsibility for your own work!"

"But 'Mione…"

"Don't 'Mione me. If I told you once, I told you a million times, my name is Hermione, not 'Mione' or 'Mi' or any other shortcut."

"Fine, Hermione. Could you please be a dear and share your work with your best friends?"

"No!"

"Bloody hell!"

"Language, Ronald!"

"Stop!" screamed Harry as he approached them. "Could you stop talking for one second and help me out with a huge problem that I have?"

"Sorry Harry. Of course we can help you. What is it?"

"Not here, Hermione. Could you guys come with me to the Room of Requirement?"

Once they arrived at their destination, Harry told them about his conversation with Ginny and how he was unable to reach her. While Hermione was deep in thought, Ron was turning a weird shade of purple in anger. Harry started to retreat slowly, but Ron seemed to calm down and as his blush receded to a soft pink he said to Harry "I guess I can understand trying to protect her. But mate, you screwed up big and you better put her back together or I will have to hurt you."

"I know Ron. It was not my intention to hurt her and I never imagined that this would happen. I should have known that she's strong enough to survive anything. But sometimes surviving is not the same as living and I will do what I can to undo this mess."

Hermione seemed to wake up with this final word and asked Harry what the plan is.

"No idea Hermione. That's why I need your brilliant brain and Ron's brilliant strategic mind. We need the perfect, full-proof plan."

"Well, Harry, I think that we should take advantage of her overzealousness to fight in this war and win to get to her. I think you should ask her to help you with the war effort training and researching and all that stuff to force her to spend time with you and realize that she never stopped loving you."

"Brilliant Hermione!"

"Thanks Ron. But we need a detailed plan. I think that we should start by letting her in to the whole horcrux hunting plan."

"No, it's too dangerous," said Harry.

"Not if you give her a specific task to fulfill, one that will have her busy for a while but would allow her to feel she's contributing to the war effort."

"Ok, what do you suggest?"

"Well, Ginny values your life more than anything else, so why don't we remind her by assigning to her finding a protection spell."

"But there is no protection spell that can protect me from Voldemort."

"We haven't had time to research that because we have been so busy with the horcruxes. What if there is and we have not found it because we are otherwise engaged? You recuperate her trust by telling her about the horcruxes and then tell her that that leaves us now time to search for possible protection spells that could help you out in the final battle with Voldemort."

"Great idea Hermione. No need for a better strategy mate. This way you have her close, but not necessarily in the middle of the dangerous stuff. And really we could use a break from the constant research."

"Ron, this is not time to slow down the research. I'm sorry if it bores you, but this is probably the most important thing we can do for this war and we should not be complaining. Honestly, Ron!"

"Geez, Hermione, tense much? I'm just kidding. So mate, what do you say?"

"Do you really think this would work?"

"Well, we can just try Harry. If it doesn't seem to be working, we can always regroup. In the mean time, let's plan what we're going to tell Ginny."

The following night Ron motioned for his sister to join them at their table in the Gryffindor common room.

"What do you want Ron?"

"Well, hello sunshine! Aren't we in a good mood? I just wanted to ask you if you are free tomorrow night. Harry, Hermione and I would like to talk to you."

"What is this about? You're not going to try to convince me of this whole love thing that Harry has been grumbling about do you?"

"No Ginny, we just need your help with a project and we wanted to discuss it privately with you. If you could meet us tomorrow after dinner at the Room of Requirement, we can discuss it there."

Ginny looked warily at the three of them and Harry felt his heart falter. Her distrust was there for everyone to see and he felt guiltier than ever. Ron also seemed to see something that he had never seen before.

"Fine, but no tricks."

The trio breathed a sigh of relief and continued their discussion while Ginny walked to another table with her friends to do her homework.

The following night when they managed to get together at the RoR, Hermione started her explanation on the horcruxes. Ginny sat in rapt attention listening to every single detail that she was saying. She had changed so much that she did not even startle when Hermione said that the diary had been one of Voldemort's horcruxes. There was no outward reaction to everything that she was learning and this worried Harry.

Hermione finished her long explanation and Ginny said "So what do you need me to help you with?"

"Ginny, we have been so busy researching these horcruxes that there are other areas of research that we have had to abandon due to the priority of the horcrux hunt. We don't trust many people with this information as it's highly delicate and dangerous to make public, so we need someone we can trust to look for this other things. Basically we need to find as much as we possibly can about protection spells. We know that there is no protection spell strong enough to block the unforgivable curses, but if we can find something that can help out Harry, it might increase his chances. Do you think you can help us out with that?"

And with that the trio became a quartet and they started to spend most of their time in the library researching Tom Riddle, the horcruxes, defense spells, and any protection spells they might find. Ginny felt that she was contributing a great deal to the cause and this made her feel a sense of belonging. She was scared to rely on this feeling as she had been hurt by their closeness before and knew that nothing really could tear those ties apart, much less her, but she could not help the ice melting a little bit around her heart.

Ginny mostly researched together with Harry. Hermione had been borrowing books from outside the library, professors' collections, Grimmauld Place books, etc. and she had been going over those with Ron, usually in the RoR so nobody would ask them where they had gotten the books, so Ginny ended up spending lots of time in the library with Harry.

And one night, it finally happened. Ginny found the ultimate protection spell. She wasn't sure if she should share with Harry as it carried a huge sacrifice for it to work and she knew that he carried guilt like a cross. She kept thinking about what to do with her knowledge and finally decided to consult with Hermione. She caught the girl in her dorm late on a Saturday morning, when most of her dorm mates had gone to Hogsmeade. The trio and Ginny had decided to catch up on their homework in the morning as they had been neglecting it a bit with the research and were planning to walk down to Hogsmeade after lunch. Ginny knocked on Hermione's door and the witch looked up from her work.

"Oh, hi Ginny."

"Hi Hermione. Sorry to interrupt, but I need to speak with you privately if you can spare the time."

Hermione offered her a huge welcome smile thinking that finally Ginny would open up with her about her feelings and worries. Instead Ginny started to explain about the protection spell producing a book dog-marked to a page.

"Ginny, I don't think that you should be doing that to library books."

"You can yell at me later Hermione. This is important. I think I found an all powerful protection spell."

"Really?"

"Yes, in this book. I have not told anyone about it and I want to have your word that you will not say anything to anyone about it."

"But why Ginny?"

"You will understand as you read." She then passed the book to Hermione who opened it in the dog-eared page.

"As you can see Hermione, it's a very powerful spell but it requires and equally powerful sacrifice. You know how Harry feels about anyone sacrificing their lives for him, especially because of his mum. This is the only solution that I've been able to find fitting what Harry is about to face, but I don't see how we can make this happen."

"But Ginny, how can we? It's a very special person that has to do the sacrifice. It has to be someone that loves him in a way only a soul mate could."

"Yes, and that is the hardest part, finding someone that shares that connection with Harry. I would offer of course, but even if I still felt that way, which I don't, we all know Harry doesn't feel that way about me. Any ideas?"

"I disagree, I think that Harry does love you, but still, it's a huge risk. What if he doesn't make it on time? They might die. You might die."

"Well, that is a risk that we might have to take."

"What do you mean might?"

"From what I can read here, it has to be cast at the exact moment where the curse is sent. We can mention it only as a last resort. But that still leaves the question of who would cast it open?"

"What do you suggest we do?"

"We need to find out from Harry if he is in love with someone. Only you as his best friend can find out that information. Then we need to find her and prepare her."

"What if he doesn't have anyone?"

"Then we either get him someone to love or keep searching to see if we find a less powerful, but still useful spell. We probably still have a bit of time before the final confrontation, so let work on finding from Harry who he loves and if not working on a plan to get him someone. I will also continue the research to look for alternatives and also to avoid making Harry suspicious."

"Ginny…"

"It's a lead Hermione. We live in dangerous times and every opportunity has to be explored. Only Harry can defeat Voldemort and we need to do whatever is in our power to make sure he does what he needs to do even at the expense of someone else. Everyone's life depends on his survival."

Hermione stared at Ginny looking for signs of weakness. She could not believe that Ginny was speaking so dispassionately about something so important. She truly had changed and she was afraid that there was nothing to be done to rescue her from within her walls.

Suddenly they heard screams from afar. The school alarm started ringing and the sky turned dark. Hermione and Ginny ran out of the dorm finding Harry and Ron in the common room and all four of them running out of the school. There in the sky was the dark mark and dementors were approaching the school grounds. The school gates had been opened for the Hogsmeade trip and now legions of deatheaters came into the school grounds ready for battle.

Suddenly, silence reigned as Voldemort himself made an appearance. He was smirking and grinned widely as he located Harry and his friends.

"Well, Harry, we meet again."

"Tom."

"I told you never to call me by that name. It's a filthy muggle name and one that is way too pedestrian to befit the greatness of my power."

"The name doesn't change the evil little git that you are. It has never elevated you to anything more than a feared terrorist."

"Enough! I'm not here to exchange pleasantries, but to end your miserable life."

And with that the battle began.

It was fierce and long and dangerous. But finally only Voldemort and Harry remained fighting. The DA, aurors, and the Order of the Phoenix had joined the battle and managed to drive away the dementors, the giants, and eliminated or captured most of the deatheaters. Harry was exhausted and Voldemort seemed to be stronger than ever.

Voldemort lifted his wand and cast a killing curse. Harry saw the curse coming towards him and stood still waiting for his fate. Suddenly the curse rebounded from an invisible shield in front of him. He had no idea how the shield had gotten there, but the curse rebounded and hit Voldemort straight in the heart pushing him to the floor in an exhausted heap. Harry took the opportunity to lift his wand and cast a curse he had never heard before.

"Mi amor destruye vuestros muros. Mi amor destruye vuestra alma." A blue light came out of Harry's wand surrounding Voldemort. Voldemort started to shake uncontrollably until he finally exploded into nothingness. Harry looked around at the destruction around him and passed out.

Harry woke up on a familiar bed at Hogwart's hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey came in to check him over.

"Well, Mr. Potter, I truly hope this is the last time you visit me here. Really, you need to take better care of yourself. But then again, you did destroy the most evil wizard of all time, so I can cut you some slack I guess."

"What happened Mme Pomfrey? Where is everyone?"

"Well, most of the Weasleys and Miss Granger were here most of the night, but they just stepped out to the great hall to grab some food. They have been worried sick and they have to keep their strength for what is coming."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the funerals. We lost quite a few of the good ones in this war."

"Who?"

"Mad-eye, Charlie Weasley, Colin Creevy, Lavender Brown, and Remus Lupin among others. Plus there are a few that are in critical condition and that we could still lose," she said sadly.

"The Weasleys must be devastated. How are Ron and Hermione?"

"They are ok. Sad and worried about Ms. Weasley."

"Ginny?"

Mme Pomfrey nodded sadly. Just as Harry was going to press for details, Hermione and Ron entered the room.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed as she hugged him a bit awkwardly since he was lying in bed. Harry was happy to see his friends, but he needed to find out about Ginny.

"Hermione, where is Ginny? What happened to her?"

Hermione looked over at Ron and sighed sadly before turning to Harry, sitting on the edge of the bed and grabbing his hand. Ron sat on the chair right next to the bed and looked heartbroken.

"Harry, Ginny did manage to find a protective spell. She actually found the most powerful protective spell there is."

"How come nobody told me? Did you know about this Ron?"

"No mate. Hermione explained to me and my family after the battle.

"Ginny asked me not to say anything. Plus we just found it and had not worked out yet the details of the spell. I have a feeling that had we had more time, we would have decided against using it."

"Why not?"

"Well, the spell required the ultimate sacrifice. It was a spell based on the love of a soul mate. For it to work best, this love had to be reciprocal, but it would still work if the caster felt love for the person they were protecting. Ginny said that we would probably not be able to use it unless we found out who your love was. She said that she did not feel that way anymore, but even if she did the spell would work best when the love was two ways, so that we should work in finding out who your soul mate was or find someone that could become your soul mate. We honestly thought we had enough time to make this happen, but just then we heard the screaming."

"So what does that have to do with Ginny not being here?"

"Ginny was out there in the battle and she saw when only Voldemort and you were standing and when Voldemort finally cast the killing curse toward you. This is the moment when the protection spell would be used best. All of a sudden, she murmured some words and a shield went up in front of you reflecting the spell and hitting Voldemort in his heart. The spell would also provide the protected person with a continued means to eliminate the threat as the caster would be disabled to continue."

"As soon as Voldemort hit the floor I said some words that I had never heard before and a blue light came out of my wand. It made me feel loved and happy, but it zapped all the energy I had left I guess."

"Yes, you said and old Spanish spell which translated means 'My love destroys your walls. My love destroys your soul.' It's extremely old magic, forgotten in time."

"So what happened to Ginny?"

Hermione looked at Ron and Ron took over the explanation. Hermione started sobbing inconsolably.

"Mate, Ginny loved you enough apparently to cast the protection spell. However, the spell is extremely dangerous, using energy from your life force. In some cases, people have recuperated because their love was returned and they were able to touch their loved one. However, knowing that you did not feel the same and since you passed out after killing Voldemort, Ginny is rapidly deteriorating. She's actually dying. Right now they are just making her last few hours comfortable."

"But, but I do return her feelings! I told her. Why doesn't she believe me?"

Still sobbing, Hermione said, "Her heart was broken beyond repair. She didn't even know that she loved you still until she cast that spell. And now we will never know what she feels or believes."

"Hermione, you are the smartest witch of your age. There has to be something that can be done."

"I've looked everywhere, but I haven't found anything. I came up with a couple of theories, but I have not been able to explore them further."

"What kind of theories?"

"Well, theories based on manifestation of love. Romantic love…towards her. But I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Manifesting love. Like showing her that someone loves her right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Hermione, you guess or you know?"

"I only guess."

"I want to see her."

"Mate, you are still weak and you really don't want to see her like that."

"Ron, take me to Ginny right now please. You know I love her and I need to see her right now."

"What are you planning Harry?"

Harry did not answer, but just stood up, grabbed his wand, and started walking around the hospital wing until he was able to locate Ginny. She was lying in the bed, as pale as the white sheets she was lying on. She looked gaunt and one of her hands was resting weirdly over her heart, as if she was holding it together. To him, she was the most beautiful sight that he could hope to see. He needed her and he could not believe that she was there as a result of his lies and rejection. He could not believe that he had destroyed the person he loved above all others. He should have told her. He should have convinced her of his love for her, even if he had to ask her to wait for him. They could have been happy for a while instead of putting out her fire and vibrancy with careless words. Yes, they had been careless causing an unlimited amount of pain to his love.

He sat down in the bed and brushed some hair from her face. He stared at her for a long time. He heard Hermione and Ron come in behind him, but he ignored them. Suddenly he turned around and told them to leave him alone with her.

As they walked out, he cast a privacy spell so he could talk to her freely.

"Ginny, my Ginny. Please don't leave me here. I've destroyed him. Thanks to you we are free of Voldemort. Now it's time to live. We can now love each other like you wanted to back when you confessed your feelings to me. I was so stupid to reject them. They would have only made me stronger. In the end they got rid of Voldemort. You protected me. You gave me power to end it. You loved me. And I love you more than anything. I cannot help but love you. And I want to see you smile at me again. I want to feel you close to me. I need you to hold my hand as we rise and rebuild after this war. I just need you."

Harry reached for the hand that Ginny had over her heart as tears feel silently down his cheeks. He cried in bitterness for the mistakes he had made and for the loss he already felt. He cried until he was exhausted moving to sit on the chair next to the bed and promptly falling asleep, still holding her hand over her heart.

Harry woke up warm and cozy. He was lying in a bed in the hospital wing, but there was something different. There seemed to be someone next to him. He slowly opened his eyes and he looked down seeing long red hair over his chest. He looked around and found an amused Ron with a smirking Hermione on his lap sitting on the chair next to the bed. He was confused by their reactions and how he had gotten to the current position.

"What's going on?"

"Harry, you did it mate."

"Did what?"

"You brought us Ginny back," said Hermione proudly.

"Please explain. She was so cold and now feels so warm. What is going on?"

Hermione continued, "Harry, we don't know what you said or what you did, but when we came back you were on this chair sleeping holding Ginny's hand and Ginny had her eyes open staring at you. We approached her and as she looked at us she said 'He loves me. He told me so. And I love him. I think I'll stay.' And with that she went back to sleep with a smile on her face. You looked uncomfortable, so we levitated you to the bed next to her where she embraced you so strongly that we knew she could never let you go. I hope you meant what you said, because you did something I thought would never be possible again. You tore down the walls around her heart. I hope you hold on to her from now on."

Harry smiled and looked down at the girl in his arms. He could not believe he had a second chance with her. He could not wait for her to wake up and talk about what happened. He wanted to make sure she knew how much he loved her and that he would never leave her alone again.

The next day Harry returned to the hospital wing after taking a shower and eating with his friends in the great hall. He had spent all night with Ginny and he left for a bit at her parents' insistence. They could not believe that he had saved Ginny again and were eternally grateful. Harry assured them that he was the grateful one and asked them for permission to be with Ginny, which they happily granted.

When Harry walked to Ginny's bed, he saw that she was alone and awake. She seemed to be lost in thought and he was unsure if he should disturb her. She took the decision out of his hands by looking at him and smiling shyly. She blushed furiously and he had never been happier to see her embarrassment as he did in that moment.

"Hi" she said shyly.

"Hi Ginny. How are you feeling?"

"Tired, but fine. Thank you for whatever you did to make me come back. It would have broken my family's heart if they had lost me."

"It would have broken my heart as well, irreparably. I have so much to say to you."

"Harry, you don't have to say anything. We're both here and Voldemort is gone and that is all that matters," she said still embarrassed in the knowledge that he now knew that she had never stopped loving him.

"No, it's not. I have to make sure you know what you mean to me. I have to make sure you forgive me for what I did. I have to make sure that you know that I love you."

"Harry, really, it's fine, you don't need to say anything."

Harry covered her lips with his hand saying "Ginny, I love you and I have for a long time. You are smart, funny, loyal, brave, strong, and the most beautiful witch I've ever laid eyes on. I cannot believe that even for a moment I made you believe that I did not love you more than anything in this world. In my zeal to protect you, I destroyed your heart and your trust in people. I thought you were so strong and mature that day and I almost did not realize the damage that I had caused. I took the sparkle from your eyes and the music in your laughter. I made you distrust your friends and the worst of all; I made you a non-believer of the power of love. I could never make up to you what I did, but I would love for an opportunity to make you happy as long as you want me."

She was staring intently at him and kissed his fingers to let him know that she wanted to talk. When he removed his hand she whispered "Forever, then."

Harry smiled happily not believing his luck. She still loved him and had given him the ultimate sacrifice to protect him and give him the life he always wanted. He swore at that moment to let her know every day that he loved her and appreciated her.

"You are beautiful and I love you more than words can express."

"If you can't express with words, maybe you can express in another way?" as she pointed to her pouty lips.

"Ginny!" Chuckling he got steadily closer until his lips covered hers. They kissed for a long time savoring in the feelings that they had missed since the moment of her confession. She suddenly moved back resting her forehead in his and asked him if he was sure that this is what he wanted. He answered her with a kiss and a promise "Forever."

fin


End file.
